This application includes a Microfiche Appendix that includes 14 microfiche in total, and 257 frames in total. The Microfiche Appendix includes computer program listings consisting of Exhibits A-M listed below. Exhibits A-K are included in microfiche 1/13 to 11/14, respectively, Exhibit L is included in microfiche 12/14 and 13/14, and Exhibit M is included in microfiche 14/14.
Exhibit A: Sample ASP script corresponding to xe2x80x9cASP Scripts 340xe2x80x9d of FIG. 2, entitled xe2x80x9cindex.aspxe2x80x9d;
Exhibit B: Sample ASP script corresponding to xe2x80x9cASP Scripts 530xe2x80x9d of FIG. 2, entitled xe2x80x9cclient.aspxe2x80x9d;
Exhibit C: News COM Add-In, corresponding to COM Add-In 622 of FIG. 2;
Exhibit D: Quotes COM Add-In, corresponding to COM Add-In 624 of FIG. 2;
Exhibit E: Portfolio COM Add-In, corresponding to COM Add-In 626 of FIG. 2;
Exhibit F: Limit Minder COM Add-In corresponding to COM Add-In 626 of FIG. 2;
Exhibit G: Reuters Television COM Add-In corresponding to COM Add-In 626 of FIG. 2;
Exhibit H: Market Feed to XML Converter corresponding to xe2x80x9cTranslation to XML 420xe2x80x9d of FIG. 2;
Exhibit I: Quote Server software file (xe2x80x9cserver.javaxe2x80x9d) implemented on xe2x80x9cData Server 430xe2x80x9d of FIG. 2;
Exhibit J: Server Connector software file (xe2x80x9cconnector.cppxe2x80x9d) of xe2x80x9cInterface 440xe2x80x9d of FIG. 2;
Exhibit K: Quote Data Source software file (xe2x80x9cquotedatasource.clsxe2x80x9d) of xe2x80x9cMS OLE DB Simple Provider Interface 470xe2x80x9d of FIG. 2;
Exhibit L: Dynamic View Manager software files;
Exhibit M: Sample XML file (xe2x80x9cCEToday.xmlxe2x80x9d) associated Dynamic View Manager.
The contents of that appendix are incorporated by reference into this disclosure as if fully set out herein.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile production by anyone of the document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all rights of copyright whatsoever.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method, system and program for providing to a user information from a variety of sources, such as news and financial data from a dynamic datastream, as well as information from static sources such as network and workstation storage devices, with the potential for new data integration and display opportunities, as well as reduced costs for product development, delivery and support.
2. Related Background Art
There have been developed a number of largely proprietary software-based systems that provide users with news and financial data as it develops throughout the day. These systems are used to retrieve and display information from proprietary news and financial data streams, which deliver new information to the user, without user prompting, as events occur and transactions take place. Examples of such prior art systems include the Reuters Terminal and Reuters Dealing 3000 systems.
Because the software of these prior art systems was largely proprietary, their development was typically from the xe2x80x9cground upxe2x80x9d; much of the software had to be written specifically for the contemplated system, and there was relatively little publicly available software that could be utilized to expedite the process. As a result, the prior art systems were expensive and time consuming to develop. Likewise, because the software was largely custom-made by or for the information provider, the prior systems were complex, demanding and expensive to deploy and support.
The inventors have developed a system that provides to a user news and financial information from a dynamic datastream, together with information from static sources such as network and workstation storage devices. In this disclosure, a xe2x80x9cdynamic datastreamxe2x80x9d is a datastream that delivers new information to a recipient, without user prompting, typically to provide the user with information about recent events and transactions shortly after their occurrence. Data from such a datastream will be referred to as xe2x80x9cdynamic data.xe2x80x9d Correspondingly, in this disclosure xe2x80x9cstatic dataxe2x80x9d is information that is not changed or otherwise updated, absent user prompting.
The present system is designed to run with commercially-available information management software products for personal computers, other desktop devices, handheld devices, server platforms and other information appliance platforms. Because the basic functionalities are already provided by the commercially-available information management software, the subject invention can be brought to market much faster, and at lower costs, than has been possible in the past. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cinformation management softwarexe2x80x9d means products that are mass-marketed and distributed to a wide variety of different users, and which provide the users with the ability to organize, view and/or share information. For example, information management software can include e-mail functions, task scheduling (such as a personal or group calendar of due dates), contact information presentation and management (such as records of telephone contacts and persons contacted, their employers, addresses, and personal information) and information collaboration functions (such as permitting a number of users to share use of an application and its data in a conference environment). Current commercially-available information management software includes Outlook, a product of Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Wash., as well as other software that provides similar functionality.
Also, because the present system requires less custom-written software than has been the case for the prior art systems, the present system is also easier and less expensive to train and maintain a staff to design, test and support, since large portions of the software are the responsibility of the information management software provider. Furthermore, the use of commercially-available information management software improves the degree of data integration and display integration with other applications, which can be offered as part of larger software suites that include the information management software.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system, method and program that delivers dynamic datastreams from an information provider, or other information source, utilizing commercially-available information management software.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system, method and program that permit the user to customize how dynamic and static data is received, stored, maintained, generated and displayed, which again utilizes the capabilities of commercially-available software.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a system, method and program that allows the user to create multiple framed views containing dynamic and static data, as well as other data and objects.